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JOSEPH` FOX, OF LANSINGBURG, NEV YORK.

CRACKER-MACHINE.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 22,793, dated February 1,'1859; Ressued May 4, 1869, No. 3,415; Again reissued in two divisions July 18, 1.876, Nos. 7,230 and 7,231.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, Josnrrr Fox, of the village of Lansingburg, in the county of Rensselaer and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Making Crackers,v and I do hereby declare that the following is a full description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is an elevation of the left side of a machine which embraces my improvements; F ig.` 2, a fan; Fig. 3, a longitudinal vertical section at the line e e, Fig. d, an inverted elevation of a part of the right side; Fig. 5, a transverse section at the lineyy y2; Fig. 6 a plan, and Figs. 7, 8, 9, and 10, vertical sections, of details; Fig. 11, a partial plan, on a larger scale than the above-mentioned drawings, of such rollers as have been heretofore used for making skin-covered strips of dough from skin-covered sheets, and Figs. 12 and 13 are like plans of the improved rollers that I employ for the same purpose; and Fig. 14: is a sectional elevation, and Fig. 15 a plan, of a modified art. p The same letters refer to like parts in all the figures; and the arrows on or by the parts indicate respectively the directions in.

which the parts move. y

One part of my invention consists in having continuous shallow depressions, 0, in the middle part of the spaces or bearings, b, b, between the grooves, a, a', in one or both o-f the rollers, B B', that form the skin-covered sheets of dough, Z, into skin-covered strips, Y; (see Figs. 12 and 13,); so that those parts of the bearings, Z), b, which are next to the grooves a a may be easily kept tight together, so as to divide or separate l the webs, m, that are formed on the spaces between the grooves, from the strips, Y, that are formed in the grooves and thereby prevent or lessen the formation of fin-like projections upon the opposite sides of the strips of dough. The depression c, should be about the one-fiftieth of an inch deep, more or less; and should occupy about threefifths, more or less, of the space between the grooves.

Another partof my invention consists in forming short sections of skin-covered strips of dough into disks or crackers, as the sections are Severed from the strips, by `applying pressure to the ends of the sections in or i nearly in the direction of their axes, substantially as follows. The strips of dough Y are fed throughV a support G, with a step by step motion; and at each step enough of each strip is fedv down for a cracker. Just after each step of the strips of dough clampbars I I close upon the strips below the bar G, see Figs. 3 and 6. Then a thin broadblade or knife H is driven swiftly through the strips of dough close under the bar Gr, and stops there, over the upper ends of the severed pieces, X, as represented in Fig. 7.

Then a press-plate, J, rises; and when it begins to flatten the-pieces of dough endwise, the bars vI I spring away from the pieces, as shown in Fig. 8, so as to leave the pieces free to expand laterally into disks or symmetrical crackers, W, as the press-plate rises jlO.` A sharp clearer, K is arranged close under the knife H, as shown` in Fig. 9, so y that as the knife H is drawn back the clearer then shaves off such pressed crackers as adhere to the knife. Or the clearer may move forward so as to` loosen such crackers as y stick to the knife while they are more nearly in line with those that adhere to the press- 3plate, or the apron, L over it, and then move back with the knife.

Just after the press-plate descends the endless apron L moves forward a step and thereby removes the row of pressed crackers; or the pressed crackers are removed by any other suitable means.

,The strips of dough, Y, clamp-bars I I', knife H, press-plate, J, movable clearer, K,

`(and the endless apron L if used to carry 1 off the pressed crackers,) are moved by the same common prime motor through` the intervent-ion of suitable mechanical devices, as is illustrated by the annexed drawings.

Another part of my invention consists in improving the skin upon the upper surface of the pressed crackers, preparatory to docky ing and baking, by passing them, upon an apron, under a plain rotating roller, or rollers, arranged and operating substantially as follows, viz: `Each rotating roller,

M, M', M2, is arranged over and across the running endless apron L, and with its axls at right angles or nearly so to` the course of the apron and parallel to its face; and the apron is supported under each rotating roller by one or more friction rollers N, N N, N2 N2, which are free to take motion from the apron, and are respectively arranged parallel to', and at such distances from, the rotating rollers, that the pressed crackers are reduced in thickness by each set of rollers, as they are carried by the apron between them. The gradual reduction of the pressed crackers in thickness by thus rolling them upon an apron, improves the skin or glazing upon the upper surface of the crackers so as to make that part, where the sections were cut from the strips, less permeable to the gasesdeveloped in baking; and I generally run the rotating roller or rollers with a faster surface speed than the apron, so that those rollers shall slip more upon the surface of the crackers and thereby increase the skin-producing or glazing action of the rollers. The rollers M, M, M2, and the endless apron L are both run by the same prime motor by means of endless chains or bands or other suitable devices, as illustrated by the annexed drawings.

Another part of my invention consists in so combining an endless apron, L, straight edge, R, and docker, with the device that presses the sections of dough endwise, that the sections of dough shall be pressed endwise into crackers and also docked by a continuous automatic operation, substantially as follows, to wit:-The docker consists of a bar of Vprick-points 0, shed-plate, Q, and a cracker-supporting plate P, the latter une der the apron. The apron L moves forward a step, with the rows of crackers upon it, each time the pressing device delivers a row of crackers to it. Every time the apron stops, the straight edge is raised up, and after the apron starts again and has carried a row of crackers under and past the straight edge, the latter so descends to the apron in front of the next row of crackers, while the apron is still moving, as to stop and slide all the crackers of that row into a line parallel with the bar of prick-points. The step by step motion of the apron L is such that every time the apron stops it leaves a row of crackers under the docker. Then the plate P raises the row against the prick-points, and also descends before the apron starts again. As the plate P rises it lifts the shed-plate Q so as to bare the prick-points to the crackers; and as the plate P descends the shed-plate follows down and frees the crackers from the points, which docked crackers are carried forward at the next step of the apron. The docker, straight edge, endless apron, and pressing device are all moved by the same primemotor by means of suitable in tervening devices, as shown by the annexed drawings. When the crackers are pressed upon the apron L, I generally dust the apron with flour by means of a rotating sieve, V, so that the crackers shall be left Prec by the press to be slid on the apron by the straight edge R; and also then prefer to have concavities, g, in the press-plate, J, at the places where the sections are pressed, so that the pressed pieces shall be a little convex on their under sides, and thereby help free themselves from the apron as it straightens outl of the depressions.

Another part of my invention consists in taking rows of crackers, WV, Fig. 2, from a moving endless apron L, and placing them upon slides or bake-pans, fu, by means of a xed plane T, moving follower, U, and a second endless apron, S, or an equivalent device for supporting and moving forward the bake-pans, all arranged and combined together and with the apron from which the crackers are taken so as to operate as follows, viz: The top or back end of the plate T so fits against the apron L as to receive or stop the rows of crackers, and the bake-pans are supported and moved forward just under the front or lower end of the plate T. Every time that the apron L leaves a row of crackers at the back end of the plane T, the pan, 01, is moved forward the proper distance to receive a row of crackers. Andjust after a row is left at the top of the plane T the follower, U, descends back of it and then moves forward or down the plane T, sliding the row of crackers in front of it on to the bake-pans. Then the follower moves back or up the plane T and over and down back of the next row of crackers, which is then there, ready to be moved over the plate T, onto the bake-pan. A plate, fw, Fig. 8', may be so loosely attached to the front of the follower U, as to make the follower conform to warped or uneven bake-pans. I also prefer to have ribs or guides on the plane T, as indicated in Fig. 2, to keep the crackers of a row from moving sidewise as they are slid over it. The follower, U, bakepans, fu, and endless apron L, are all moved by the same common driving power by means of suitable mechanical devices as shown in the annexed drawings.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The depressions in the spaces between the grooves in one or both of the rollers that form the strips of dough from the sheet, as herein described, for the purpose specified.

2. I also claim forming short sections of skin covered strips of dough into disks or crackers, by pressure applied to the ends of the sections by the devices substantially as herein described.

3. I claim the rollers substantially as described by which the crackers are rolled on the apron and by which the skin on the upper surface of the pressed crackers is improved.

4. I also claim in combination the straight 6. And finally I claim the plane T, foledges for evening the rows of crackers belower U, and second endless apron S', subfore rolling, and also for docking as speostantially as combined and arranged among ied, With the dockers; substantially as herethemselves and with the other endless apron 15 5 in set forth. for the purpose of taking rows of crackers 5. I also claim the employment of the from a moving endless apron and placing clamp -bars II, n combination with the them upon slides or bake pans. knife I-I as herein described7 to out o and JOSEPH FOX. hold the sections of the strips of dough as l0 the strips are fed through the bar G, as

specified.

Vitnesses:

M. L. ToWNsEND, AUSTIN F. PARK.

[FIRST PRINTED 1911.] 

